


Embers and Streams

by EternitySword3



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M, Zutara Week 2020
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-26
Updated: 2020-07-27
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:48:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25522378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EternitySword3/pseuds/EternitySword3
Summary: Zutara Week 2020 fics. I will be posting all of mine here.Day 1: Reunion. Katara and Zuko meet again around season 4 of LoK.Day 2: Counterpart. Katara takes things into her own hands, again. This time she finds a strange companion in the Blue Spirit.
Relationships: Katara/Zuko (Avatar), Past Aang/Katara - Relationship, Past Zuko/Mai - Relationship
Kudos: 25





	1. Day 1: Reunion

Ember Island was the same as Katara remembered it from years ago. The sand was fine, pieces of sea glass occasionally spotting the shore. Air smelled lightly of salt and various blooming flora. Stepping off of the ship, Katara had looked around the beach, taking in the sight of where she and her friends had hidden, decades ago. That was the time, she thought, feeling her age for a long moment. How strange it was, to look back on it, and truly understand how young they had been when they had ended the Hundred Years War.

Katara had gone up to the Fire Nation Royal Family's summer home, a small smile gracing her lips as she saw it. Their time on the island before Sozin's Comet had been short. Still, in those days they had found a short bout of safety, in a place that was actually comfortable to be. It had been where her forgiveness of Zuko had blossomed into one of the most important friendships she had ever had. Years had passed, and their group of friends would come and go, trying to spend what time they had together. Zuko and Katara had led separate lives, with their respective spouses and children. Aang's death had broken them apart, as it had broken her heart. _I had thought we would have more time._ Katara took a deep breath before the entrance to the summer home.

It had been sixteen years since she and Zuko had been together.

She had gone slack-jawed in surprise for a moment when her daughter had told her that they had received a letter from Zuko. She accepted the letter quietly, a mixture of dread and hope rising. Hope, because she had long-since recovered from the loss of Aang, and was tired of the space Zuko had offered her. Dread, because there were certain things people would send letter to old friends about at their age. It can't be too late, she had thought as she quickly read the letter. To her relief, the letter had nothing to worry about in it. In fact, it had been an invitation to Ember Island. To reconnect. It bore Zuko's trademark awkwardness, which had never quite outgrown, as well as all of the fondness that he had tried to push down without succeeding.

Katara had never quite succeeded either.

Katara found herself wandering to the side of the house, over to the wild garden Zuko had maintained. Beside the plants stood statues of their loved ones. Iroh. Aang. Mai. Sokka. Suki. Katara gave a sad smile to the statue of Aang. She felt a few tears forming and wiped them away. She lightly touched the statue for a moment, wishing to draw forth some of Aang's liveliness and ability to move forward. She would need it. A short reunion, she had decided as the ship had sailed, was not enough for her.

"I thought I may find you here," she heard. A feeling of peace came over Katara as she turned to see her new companion. It had been many years since she had seen Zuko. Far too long to go without someone whom she considered such a good friend. Her lips pulled into a smile as she observed the former Firelord. Time had passed, that much was readily apparent. What little color Zuko's hair had had sixteen years ago had faded to white; new wrinkles lined his face. His scar was, as ever, readily apparent. Still, Katara felt that old stirring in her gut as she embraced him. That stirring she had begun to feel in a cave beneath Ba Sing Se. The stirring which had returned as she embraced him for the first time on this very island. The stirring which she dutifully ignored for decades, content in her marriage and satisfied in her friendship with Zuko.

Still, the scarcity of their time together in recent years had long been a lingering regret of her life. She breathed in his scent as her head rested on his shoulder, and she felt him hold her tighter for a long moment. Finally, they stepped away from each other, sharing wrinkled smiles.

It had been sixteen years since they had last seen each other. Sixteen years ago, when the Red Lotus had ventured to the South Pole to try to abduct Korra; Zuko had flown south as soon as he had become aware of the plot, righteous fury spurring his defense of his best friend's reincarnation. He and Sokka had led the interference of Zaheer's plan. Katara had wanted to join in the attack—she was still a waterbending master, after all. And she knew how well she and Zuko worked together. Oh, she knew.

But Zuko had shaken his head, taking one of her wrinkled hands in his own, and told her, "You must protect the Avatar. If we fail to stop the Red Lotus, you are the Avatar's last hope." She had frowned, but she had taken one look at Sokka and Tonraq, and then nodded. _So be it, then._ So she had stayed behind as they had handled the Red Lotus. Under her protection, Korra had never even realized the danger she had been in.

 _Until three years ago_ , Katara thought sadly. And then there had been nothing that she or Zuko could do to protect her.

"You have no idea how happy I am to see you again," she told him.

"Actually, I'm pretty sure I do," he told her. His eyes crinkles at the side, the remnant of a smile as he spoke. "It's been far too long. I'm sorry I never came sooner."

She shook her head. "I've spent more time in the south than I needed. The loss of Aang…but I'm still alive. I won't squander the years I have left."

"I know the feeling," Zuko agreed. She looked to him. "I've spent a lot of time alone. Travelling. Doing what I can to protect peace—not that that has helped much in the Earth Kingdom these days, their interim president has made it clear that she doesn't want me there. Guiding my daughter, protecting her." He paused. "Izumi is hardly a child, nor even are her own children. For so long now, I've spent my life working on behalf of others." He looked to her. "Lately, I've begun thinking that I should spend what time I have left for myself."

"Ah," she said. "So the greatest Firelord will finally take a break?" But she felt her cheeks warming.

"I've been on a break. Most Firelords never abdicate, much less after they've already been crowned."

She laughed. "You sure work a lot on your breaks," she told him. "Here I thought breaks were for having fun. For spending time with the people you love." She couldn't help but give him a hesitant, hopeful glance.

He met her gaze, a smile slowly coming to his lips. "Yes," he agreed. "I was hoping to do just that. If it isn't too late." Katara's mouth opened as she released a deep breath. She glanced at her husband's statue. It had been so long since she had seen Zuko, and neither of them had quite been in a place to start a relationship then. It had occurred to her to explore the connection they had forged in their youth. But she had wanted time, and Zuko had given her more than she needed. "Oh course, if you don't want to do anything, that's fine, too. We don't need to spend time together. I just thought…"

Katara laughed. Some things never changed, it seemed.

She held his hands in her own, turning to stare directly into his eyes. "I would love to," she told him with a smile. She glanced again at Aang's statue. "I think Aang would want us both to be happy. There's no sense in avoiding each other when we can be happy for our remaining years."

Zuko's face brightened, and Katara felt his fingers grasp her own tighter. "If you want to stay here longer," he said, "I kept your old room prepared. And after that…well, we can go anywhere in the world you like." His crooked smile came again as he took her hand, and they spoke of how to make up for their lost time.


	2. Day 2: Counterpart

It hadn't been Katara's intention to go back to being the Painted Lady. No, that definitely hadn't been her intention. Still, coming upon another put-upon town of the Fire Nation had garnered her sympathies. This one was not so different from the river village, except for being on land. The river by this village was smaller, flowing through it and at a clear downward slope. Overlooking the village was a great factory, reminiscent of the river village. The river, at least, was less polluted. The same couldn't be said for the air. It hadn't escaped Katara's notice that many of the villagers shared a similar hacking cough. Katara had taken a walk around town, listening to the villagers' quiet complaints about the factory and the soldiers who oversaw it.

 _This won't stand_ , Katara had decided.

Dressing as the Painted Lady again seemed like a poor idea on her part. She didn't even have the same hat and robe anymore. But she knew that she couldn't wander around healing people as herself. She'd been lucky at the other village, that they had decided to let a waterbender go without reporting her or something. She shouldn't try her fortunes again. But then, how could she turn her back on those who needed her?

Katara had given the others the slip before they found a place to sleep for the night. She found a place where she could buy some basic new clothes. She found, if nothing else, a jet-black tunic, boots, gloves, and a matching face mask. The mask would cover her face beneath her eyes. It wouldn't hide her identity from anyone who knew her face well, but hopefully it would be enough to conceal her from anyone who saw her in this town. Katara had hidden her new clothes behind a bush, just out of town. She had tried her best to play innocent with her friends, but she thought she had seen Sokka narrow his eyes. Ultimately, her brother had said nothing.

Katara had faked sleeping for a few hours before she quietly got up, warily observing her friends. Each of them appeared to be asleep. She squinted her eyes, checking carefully that nobody was faking. Finally, she stood up, tip-toing away from their camp. She walked faster, less carefully as she left their hearing range. Soon, she made it to where she had hidden the dark clothes. Eyeing the surrounding area, she found a large rock to change behind, shedding the maroon skirt around her pants. She put on the tunic and gloves; she put on the boots, stuffing the wide pants into them. Lastly, she put on the mask and tied her hair back.

 _I may not be the Painted Lady tonight_ , she thought. _But I can still help these people._

She wandered out into the town, deciding carefully how best to use her time. This time, she was sure, she wouldn't be able to get her friends to stay for extra nights. Not after the last time. She eyed the various buildings. At one point, she paused. She could have sworn she had seen a dark figure lurking amongst the rooftops. _Then again_ , she thought as she moved on, _I'm a dark figure lurking in the streets._ Finally, she settled on a building—the town's hospital.

She slipped in quietly, cautiously checking that everyone was asleep as she stepped over to the sleeping figures upon the cots. Even in their sleep, their breath rattled. She wasn't sure how much she would be able to help—she hadn't healed such a sickness before. And that was ignoring the fact that they would only continue to get sicker if that messy factory wasn't shut down or something. But Katara would do what she could. She worked as quickly as she could, feeling the chi of her patients and trying to heal them. Her lips would twitch upwards every time that she felt their airflow improve before moving on to her next patients.

Before long, she had done all that she could.

Moving quietly, she left the building. She made it perhaps four steps out when she felt herself being grabbed from behind, pulled back, a hand coming over her mouth as she was startled. _I can't make noise_ , she reminded herself. _People will hear, and then I'm screwed._ But before Katara could make any move to try to throw off her attacker, the hands released her. Katara whipped around, glaring at the figure which had come after her. But she quickly dropped her glare as confusion flooded her.

The other person was dressed almost all in black, much like her. The only real departure was his mask, which was a strange blue and white face. Katara had never met this person, but she knew who it was.

_The Blue Spirit?_

She blinked as he put a finger to his mask's lips, begging her silence. More gently than before, he took her hands and took her to the side, into a narrow alleyway beside the hospital. As they settled in the shadows, Katara watched a small group of Fire Nation soldiers walking through the street she had been walking through. She let out a breath as she understood—the Blue Spirit had intervened to prevent her from drawing their attention. She relaxed slightly. _I guess he's on my side_ , she figured, though she didn't quite understand what was happening. She knew vaguely of the Blue Spirit. She had seen the Fire Nation's wanted posters of him, after all. Notably, she had seen them positioned beside the likes of Aang and Jeong Jeong. She hadn't looked at his specific crimes, but whoever he was, he had earned the Fire Nation's ire—and especially Admiral Zhao's, for some reason.

That alone suggested that they were on the same side.

What she didn't understand was what he was doing here. She had thought that he was active in the Earth Kingdom—she hadn't known that he was in the Fire Nation. She stared at the mask for a few long moments. It was sort of creepy—she had no way of knowing what the wearer of the mask was thinking, what he was feeling. She looked at the holes for eyes, but they were too slim for her to see past them. Who was he? Better yet, what was he doing here? Tonight, of all nights?

A few more moments passed, and the Blue Spirit peered out of the shadowy alleyway, sword at the ready. Then he stepped out just into the street, turned to Katara, and motioned to her to follow. Katara paused for only a moment before she decided to trust the Blue Spirit, and stepped out into the street. She looked around, seeing that the soldiers were gone; they were alone. She looked back to the Blue Spirit, who stared silently at her. Finally, he took out his sword, and pointed it towards the factory atop the high hill. Katara's eyes widened as she looked, as she understood what the Blue Spirit was suggesting.

She turned her eyes back to her companion, and gave a firm nod. The town wouldn't recover until the factory was gone. She couldn't do that alone, but with help…

The two of them moved towards the factory as quietly as they could. They only had limited time to wreck the factory before dawn came and the soldiers and townspeople would be up. They slipped into the factory, easily falling into lockstep with one another. Katara couldn't help but wonder who he was behind the mask. Still, they worked together well as the Blue Spirit found the heart of the factory, full of gears and coal. Katara couldn't help but give a slight gag as she smelled smoke. _This is just remnants_ , she thought. _How can anyone tolerate this in the thick of it? The Blue Spirit pointed to one of the gears, then to her water pouch._

"You want me to damage the gears?" she asked, trying to confirm what he was telling her to do. _It would be easier if you would talk_ , she thought. But the Blue Spirit nodded in affirmation, while he quickly moved on to trying to wreck some of the levers along the wall. Katara went to work using her waterbending to slice into the gears, cracking some, and severing some of the cogs. They worked at this for a good while, before Katara had to put the water back in her pouch and lean against a wall. It was exhausting.

She looked back to see the Blue Spirit looking at her, tipping his head. It took Katara a moment to realize that he was trying to figure out if she was okay. "I'm fine," she told him quietly. "That just took a bit out of me." The Blue Spirit made no move for a long moment before he gave a stiff nod, apparently satisfied with her answer. _Was he worried about me?_ It was unnecessary, but Katara appreciated the thought. The Blue Spirit gestured down a hall with his fingers, looking at Katara questioningly. "Is there something down there?" she asked, and he nodded. "Okay. I'm in."

They went down the hall, trying not to make too much noise. Katara couldn't help but notice lights coming on in the factory—either people were just now coming in, or someone had been there the whole time and had noticed their destruction in the main factory area. Katara could feel her heartbeat rising, readying for a fight. She couldn't quite tell with the Blue Spirit, as he was silent, and his mask gave no hint towards his feelings. They reached a door at the end of the hall. The Blue Spirit took his sword—dual swords, Katara realized, and carefully put it in between the door and its frame, trying to unlock it.

"Let me," she whispered, pulling water from her pouch. The Blue Spirit stepped to the side, letting her take over. She took the glob of water, bending it into the lock. She felt around, bending the water into a key. She turned it, opening the door with the Blue Spirit at her side.

It shouldn't have been particularly surprising to see that there were people inside the room. Still, Katara momentarily mirrored the stunned look of the two Fire Nation people in the room. The next moment, they assumed fighting stances; Katara quickly used a water whip to hit one of them. Beside her, the Blue Spirit engaged the other one, also a firebender. He really was skilled with those dual blades—it was no wonder the Fire Nation didn't like him. He was a dangerous enemy.

And in her case, a good ally.

They handled the two men easily together, switching opponents at one point. The two men fell unconscious to the floor. The Blue Spirit put his dual swords away as he began rummaging through the office. _These must be the ones in charge of the factory_ , Katara realized with a scowl. Katara shifted on her feet; there were almost definitely other people around now. They didn't have much time to look around.

"Can I help you find something?" she asked the Blue Spirit. But he pulled a small book out of a cabinet just then, and quickly flipped through the pages. The Blue Spirit put the book into a pouch on his hip and pointed to the door. With that, the two of them ran out of the room, back down the halls.

As Katara had suspected, there were others in the factory, and the two of them were soon face-to-face with several engineers and soldiers. Katara pulled out her water as the Blue Spirit pulled out his dual blades, and they entered the fight. It was the two of them against six opponents, five of which were firebenders. Katara recalled hearing that firebenders were conscripted into the Fire Nation army for longer than normal Fire Nation citizens. _No wonder there's always so many of them_ , she thought. Katara dispatched two of her opponents easily enough, but she was knocked down from behind, her water falling to the floor.

The soldier sent a blast of fire towards her, but the Blue Spirit swiftly moved in the way, deflecting the blast of fire to the side with a swipe of his hand. In the next instant, the soldier was kicked to the side, his head hitting the floor harshly. The Blue Spirit turned back to Katara, looking down at her. She stood up, understanding his long look as a check on her. "I'm fine," she assured him. "Thanks." She blinked, glancing at the scorch mark on the floor for a moment. "You're a firebender." She had never heard that part about the Blue Spirit. He nodded, before motioning to continue their way out of the factory.

The rest of their way had gone easily enough. Katara snuck glances at the Blue Spirit as they ran out of the factory, creeping their way down into the town. He was Fire Nation, a firebender. It certainly explained what he was doing in the Fire Nation, rather than in the Earth Kingdom where he had previously been sighted. It was funny, she couldn't help but think, that the firebending vigilante wore her own nation's color, while she wore the color of Fire Nation's. She found herself smiling a bit. _Aang always said that there were good people in the Fire Nation, that people are not born bad. If nothing else, I'm glad I've gotten to see it._

The two of them skirted around the town, finally stopping. Katara looked to the Blue Spirit, who had still never spoken a word to her. She turned to him, meeting the eyes of his mask. "Thank you," she said. "For everything." The Blue Spirit looked up for a moment, before he nodded. She tipped her head to the side, trying to understand her silent counterpart. "You know, you could come with me. My…friends and I stay together as much as we can. It isn't exactly safe to go around challenging the Firelord here. If you want, you could stay with me. My friend needs a firebending master, anyways." It was a crazy, impulsive suggestion. She only vaguely knew the Blue Spirit—she didn't even know who it was behind the mask. Still, something in her trusted the strange vigilante. And she didn't know how good of a firebender he was—but perhaps he would be willing to teach Aang, which was still better than virtually every other firebender they met.

Seconds passed by, and the Blue Spirit just stared at her. Katara frowned as she tried to decipher his thoughts. Did he want to go with her? Was he only waiting for her to go back to her friends? Or had he not decided? Finally, the Blue Spirit shook his head. Katara couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. It may have been a little silly, but she and the Blue Spirit had worked well together. "That's okay," she said. "I guess…we should just go our separate ways." The Blue Spirit nodded. He turned away from her for a moment, while Katara watched him. He turned back to her for a few moments.

He raised his hand slightly, a wave goodbye.

She waved her own hand for a moment, a smile forming on her lips.

Then, they went their separate ways.

* * *

Katara tried her best to conceal her tiredness from her friends in the morning. Still, before they went into town to get something to eat, she failed to restrain a yawn. She shut her mouth quickly as she saw Sokka's narrow eyes focused on her. She grinned awkwardly, trying to pretend she wasn't tired. Sokka sighed, shaking his head as they entered the town.

Katara smiled warmly as she saw some of the people she had healed walking the streets. Even if she couldn't help everyone in her time at the village, at least she had been able to help those most in need. She wondered if the Blue Spirit was somewhere in the village, taking in the effect of their actions. She glanced at the factory. There was no dark smoke rising into the air. Sokka took them to a stand, buying them food. They had little time to stay in the village, and would be leaving as soon as they ate.

"Everyone seems happy today," Sokka commented as he paid.

The man laughed. "Well, that's no surprise. Our town has had a miracle."

"A miracle, huh? What sort of miracle?"

"Our sick woke up healthy," the man said, a smile on his face. Katara mirrored it. "We've lost so many in recent years, but last night we were granted a miracle."

"That's nice," Sokka said, "Isn't it Katara?" He gave her an annoyed glance, but she just grinned.

"It is," she agreed. "And is it just my imagination, or is the factory not going today?"

"It isn't," the man confirmed. He lowered his voice to a whisper. "Someone snuck in last night and wrecked the place. It's no longer operational."

Katara saw Sokka's jaw clench. "That's just great."

"Isn't it?" The man looked at Sokka. "Maybe you aren't used to living near these factories. They are the worst neighbors you could ask for."

"Oh, I know," Sokka said, "But the Firelord doesn't usually like attacks on his factories. Last time that happened, the village was _attacked_." He turned to Katara as he said the last part. Katara felt her stomach drop slightly.

"But that's the best part of all," the man exclaimed. "The factory is being closed for good!"

"It is?" Katara asked, surprise flooding her. "Why? When did this happen?"

"The local governor has ordered it. He was persuaded by Prince Zuko that the factory is too expensive to run. The factory's officials have been fudging the numbers, swindling the Fire Nation's funds." Katara's jaw dropped. "The decision was made just this morning." The man's smile only grew. "There have been good and bad things said about the Prince. This encourages me to listen to the good."

"That's…uh, nice of Prince Zuko," Sokka said, shock clear in his voice. "I guess…this all turned out for the best. Thanks for the food." They walked away from the stand, going to take food to their friends. As they left the town, Sokka spoke to Katara. "Do you have any idea how lucky that was? Well, at least things worked out. Thanks, Prince Zuko," he finished sarcastically.

Katara scowled. What was Prince Zuko playing at? And what were the odds that he would take an interest in this town at the same time that she and the Blue Spirit had? Her blood boiled slightly as she thought of the Fire Nation Prince, and his behavior in Ba Sing Se. How he had betrayed her.

For just a moment, she had felt connected to him.

Well, she may see him a week, when they would invade the Fire Nation's capital, and defeat the Firelord. And perhaps her water would connect with his chest, then. She let out a breath, trying to refocus.

She wondered if she would ever see the Blue Spirit again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Odds are high that everything from here out is going to be late. I apologize, but I do intend to complete each prompt.

**Author's Note:**

> Full disclosure, I realized when Zutara week was late. And I also don't work that great off of prompts to begin with. Still, I've never participated in Zutara Week before, and I wanted to.
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy this.
> 
> Also, heads up, odds are high that at least half of these will end up being late.


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